I currently have a Pentax K5 and K10D as my main 2 cameras but I also have a Canon Power Shot SX150 as a travel and throw in a pocket camera. I want something to replace the Canon. Its ok for the money ($150) but was looking for something that had the following features:
Manual mode
Shoots in RAW or some form of it
Hot Shoe would be nice
Something with good macro ability
$350-$500 price tag range
I thought about 4/3 camera but its just like the dslr's I have now more stuff to carry around. I mainly will be using the camera for speedy trips through parks or something along those lines.
Another vote for the LX5 or LX7. I love my LX5. You should also look at the Fuji X range. You could pick up a X10 for a decent price now as Fuji have recently brought out the X20. (I have the X100 and it's the only camera I use nowadays)
what scarbrd said. my LX3 does fabulous closeups. a very small but not tiny camera. almost impossible to manual focus - maybe the later ones have improved. I am afraid that despite the albeit modest money I have put into my Pentaxes, the Panny has taken my best photos.
Thanks all for all of your input. I looked for the last few days and leaning toward what Cory suggested and the Sony RX100 II. It just seems very sharp even though you pay for that with a pretty hefty price tag.
About three weeks ago I got a Canon G15 (successor to the G12). It has all the items you mentioned. Canon was offering a $50.00 instant rebate (don't know if it's still in effect) and Samy's paid the sales tax. I wound up paying $450.00. I took it on my vacation to North Carolina's Outer Banks and gave it a real workout. Beautiful landscapes/seascapes and candids, even with the grandkids going flat out. It's light enough that it can ride around in my purse without killing me.
I am leaning heavily towards the Canon Powershot G15 right now. It seems to have all I want and at the top end of my price. I just couldn't justify the Sony RX100 II. I missed out on the Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens at $349.95 at BestBuy I checked one day it was listed at 699.95 the next day its listed at said price and sold out, the EOS M with the 22mm pancake lens was $299.95 I believe.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the G15. I got it a pretty good price $550 but it had extras in it like a 32GB card, lens hood, filters, tele converter, wide angle, gorilla gripe like tripod, extra battery, lowepro bag. Some of which I doubt I will use but nice it came in a kit. It should arrive middle of next week and will get some pictures with it.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the G15. I got it a pretty good price $550 but it had extras in it like a 32GB card, lens hood, filters, tele converter, wide angle, gorilla gripe like tripod, extra battery, lowepro bag. Some of which I doubt I will use but nice it came in a kit. It should arrive middle of next week and will get some pictures with it.
A great addition would be that super-inexpensive Neewer 500 series flash they just came out with - I have yet to use it, but it looks promising.
Would the this be a bit better even though that look like a killer deal for the price yongnuo.
It's a good flash, and I own one.
There is an upside, and a down side.
The upside is a few more features, the only really important one IMO is the zoom head that goes to 105mm.
The downside is that the LCD is nearly fricken unreadable unless you're dead-on straight with it, whereas this cheapo has nice easy to read LEDs.
I say buy one of each if you can, and a few RF-603's
Does either of them do E-TTL?
No. They're both dumber than I am.
You have to jump up to the $150 565EX to get the TTL.
I have one of those as well, but in all honesty I used the TTL to make sure it worked, marveled at it for a moment, then went back to manually setting the thing where I wanted it :D
The real beauty of these is that you can buy ten of them, and RF-603's to pop all of them, for about the same price as a single Canon flagship flash, the 580 EX II.
Throw in two (basically free) sets of Rosco gels, a couple of cheap cowboy studio stands, some umbrellas, and maybe a softbox - you've got one hell of a setup.
You have to jump up to the $150 565EX to get the TTL.
I have one of those as well, but in all honesty I used the TTL to make sure it worked, marveled at it for a moment, then went back to manually setting the thing where I wanted it :D
The real beauty of these is that you can buy ten of them, and RF-603's to pop all of them, for about the same price as a single Canon flagship flash, the 580 EX II.
Hey, preaching to the choir. I'm a manual flash guy too. Just thought others might want to know :-)
Yeah good thing to know they both don't do TTL. Will have to check into the RF-603's and see what I can come up with. So far this is all the equipment I own.
2 x Impact 160 or 180watt mono lights. I trigger then with a china trigger right now but they both have cell feature to trigger off a pre flash.
2 x 36" Umbrellas
2 x 36" x 18" soft boxes
1 x 9' backdrop with black, white, blue muslin (it think its muslin)
3 x 250watt continuous lighting setup
7 x tripods for it all
1 x honeycomb filter
I have two flashes or speed lights
1 x Sigma 500 DG Super for pentax
1 x Sigma 610 DG Super for pentax
1 small soft box for flash head
That consists of my "studio" I am a real newb when it comes to light and lighting. I just barely found out to High Speed Sync my flash to get past 180/sec on my camera. Was at 1/8000th earlier today even though it didn't help any. I know this isn't the thread and maybe I will start a new one but I am at a loss for thing slike C1 SL pre flash ttl and the like.
Yeah good thing to know they both don't do TTL. Will have to check into the RF-603's and see what I can come up with. So far this is all the equipment I own.
2 x Impact 160 or 180watt mono lights. I trigger then with a china trigger right now but they both have cell feature to trigger off a pre flash.
2 x 36" Umbrellas
2 x 36" x 18" soft boxes
1 x 9' backdrop with black, white, blue muslin (it think its muslin)
3 x 250watt continuous lighting setup
7 x tripods for it all
1 x honeycomb filter
I have two flashes or speed lights
1 x Sigma 500 DG Super for pentax
1 x Sigma 610 DG Super for pentax
1 small soft box for flash head
That consists of my "studio" I am a real newb when it comes to light and lighting. I just barely found out to High Speed Sync my flash to get past 180/sec on my camera. Was at 1/8000th earlier today even though it didn't help any. I know this isn't the thread and maybe I will start a new one but I am at a loss for thing slike C1 SL pre flash ttl and the like.
Very good. That's a nice start for sure.
Ok - so, grab those RF-603's, because they'll fire that pentax flash just fine, as long as it has a center pin, and that basically does a great job of adapting your flashes to the Canon.
No need to buy more flashes until you need more flashes. :D
FYI - Max sync speed is usually between 1/160 and 1/200 - any faster and you'll just miss the pop of the flash entirely - so stop down your lens to account for ambient, crank up your flash to compensate and to fill as needed at the settings that put ambient where you want it, then make everything go bang.
